A Dying Rose
by AdventuresAtHogwarts
Summary: When the wolves from La Push come with news of the Volturi attacking their town,the Cullens are already distressed. But that's not all they've done. What has happened will irrevocably change the world. Bad summary, But I promise its good. T to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **_This is my first fanfiction I've published on this site, so I'm a little excited. Please be nice when you give it, but constructive criticism is appreciated. Thank you!_

**Important! I wrote this so that someone who had never read the Twilight series before would be able to at least somewhat understand it. IF you want to read the WHOLE first chapter and get used to my writing style, feel free, but if not, Skip to the paragraph about Alice and Jasper that begins "We didn't expect to see…." **

_"I've been, believing, in something so distant, as if I was human._

_And I've been, denying, this feeling of hopeless, in me, in me."_

_Lost in Paradise by Evanescence_

**Chapter One:**

The more I think about it, the more unbearably normal the beginning of that day seems. But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving, and as I sat contently on the couch with my beautiful daughter, Nessie, and my handsome husband, Edward, I hadn't even the slightest inkling of the coming storm. My world – all of our words – were about to be turned upside down in a way that would inflict irrevocable damage not only to us, but to everyone else in the world.

Nessie may have had the body of a sixteen year old, but don't be fooled – she was only about six years old and had the mind of someone in their thirties maturity-wise, but she was much more intelligent. Because of her appearance age-wise, she could have passed as my sister, which, as her mother, was a scary thought. Her bronze hair fell in ringlests to the lower portion of her back that I had rarely been able to bring myself to cut. Her face was a porcelain beauty, a perfect heart-like shape with brown eyes that were the spitting image of the ones I'd had when I was human. She also had a unique gift – with just the touch of her hand she could show you anything she was thinking about, and there were no limitations to her power that any of us had yet encountered. Even I, a mental shield whose mind not even Aro of the Volturi could penetrate, saw the effects of her power when she touched me.

Edward, my husband and simply the most charming, intelligent, kind person I knew (and would ever know), sat next to me, our daughter to his left. Besides his extraordinary looks, including his gorgeous bronze hair his daughter inherited, he too had a gift. Edward was able to read minds – every mind except mine, of course. When I was human, this used to really bother him. It still did, but because I'd recently mastered the art of pushing my shield out of my mind for a few minutes to show him something, we'd reached an unspoken compromise – I would let him in my head every so often and he wouldn't constantly ask me what I was thinking.

In the adjoining room sat four additional members of my family – Rosalie, her mate Emmett, Carlisle, and his mate, Esme. Rosalie was by far the prettiest of all of us with a body that one might see on a _Sports Illustrated_ swimsuit edition, an absolutely stunning facial structure, and golden blond hair that many girls would kill for waving gently to the middle of her back. Emmett had the muscled physique of a bodybuilder, but once you got to know him, he really was a big teddy bear. A teddy bear that _loved_ to make sexual innuendos, that is.

Carlisle, who was the first of us to be turned, had blond hair, and was a brilliant surgeon. He was kind and compassionate and tried his best to see things from all views. His wife, Esme, had sleek auburn hair that ended right underneath her shoulder blades. She was "mom" in this family, and she fit the part perfectly. She was always nurturing and kind, but when she instituted a rule, which she didn't often, she expected it to be followed.

There were two more members of my family still, Jasper and Alice. The two of them were mates. They weren't at the house because they were out hunting (animals, of course. We were vegetarians, which meant we didn't suck the blood of humans).

Alice was very short and had a black, spiky haircut, which made her somewhat resemble a pixie. She too had a special ability – she could see the future of all vampires and humans, unless there was a werewolf involved. If there was, she was likely to become extremely annoyed for a good hour or so. Alice hated being blinded. We suspected part of the reason she couldn't see them was she wasn't familiar enough with them. We hoped soon, with Jacob being around all the time, that would change.

Her mate, Jasper, had curly, honey blond hair and had a southern drawl. He'd been a soldier in the Confederate army during the Civil War when he was changed. He, like Alice, Edward, Nessie, and I, had a gift as well. He could affect how you feel, and he himself would also feel what everyone around him was. Needless to say, he tried to avoid large crowds.

We didn't expect to see or hear from either Jasper or Alice for a few days – they'd left their cell phones at home and were somewhere in South America to hunt more exotic prey. They'd already been gone for two weeks. I knew Nessie in particular was counting down the hours until their approximate arrival – she loved her Aunt Alice.

At times like these, when I was simply enjoying time with my husband and daughter, I tended to drift off a bit. I nostalgically thought back on my wonderful memories – both vampire and human – I'd made with my perfect family, and how ridiculously lucky I was to be where I was at that moment. I sighed, very comfortable right where I was. I looked over at Edward and he caught my eye. He started leaning in to kiss me when suddenly Nessie jumped up and started walking towards the Wii.

She looked back at us cagily watching her walk away and smirked. "You two carry on. I just didn't want you two to get so into it you forgot I was even there."

Edward and I laughed as she picked up the remote and turned on the television. He turned to me after a moment and started leaning in when I jumped back, startled at Emmett, who was whistling and saying "Hey Bella! Mind if Rose and I have a contest with you two?" Rose smacked him on the arm and he laughed, sitting on the other side of the couch with Rosalie. Carlisle and Esme walked in behind them, and they took the loveseat. We were all engulfed in our own little worlds when we were suddenly yanked from them by a sharp, angry sounding rap on the door. That small moment of true piece that had just been stolen from us was the last we'd have of it for a _very_ long time.

Carlisle sighed, exasperated, as he got up and opened the door. He gasped as he saw who and what was behind the door. We all did. All of us except Edward, that is. I turned to him and noticed his horrified expression. I turned quickly back to the door and bolted upright, knowing something was terribly wrong.

A good portion of La Push was standing outside of our door, huddled behind a very angry looking back of werewolves with a very angry looking Jacob standing right behind a very irate looking Sam. The rest of us quickly got up and we all walked to the door, looks of concern and confusion on all of our faces, except Edward's, which still had one of absolute shock and horror.

Renesmee was the first to speak. "Jake, Jake, what's wrong?" Anxiety colored her voice as she saw her soul mate and one and only true love standing outside our door with a good portion of his town. She ran down the steps to join him.

Sam shot her a look of warning, then addressed Carlisle. "It's not safe her. We have about fifty people. I understand it's a tight squeeze, but may we come in?"

Just as Carlisle was about to answer, two vampires came zooming toward us from the tree line. They were Alice and Jasper. Alice was sobbing hysterical, tearless sobs.

"We tried to get here as soon as possible. We couldn't run fast enough. Everyone, you can't be here. Not yet. Come back in two days. Walk two miles southeast. They won't find you there. But they're coming. And if they find you here none of you will leave alive."

"They?" I asked, a horrible suspicion growing in my mind. "Why are "they", Alice?"

And, with voices as chilled and emotionless as ice itself, both Edward and Alice answered me.

"The Volturi."

* * *

><p>So what do you think? I know it was short, but it was only a first chapter. Please review. Thanks!<p>

-Christine


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Chapter Two! I forgot the disclaimer last time so I'm saying it now. I DO NOT OWN ANY OF THESE CHARACTERS. I JUST OWN THE STORY. **

I've been screaming on the inside and I know you feel the pain.

Can you feel me? Can you hear me? Ohh…"

-The Change by Evanescence

**Chapter Two:**

Everyone stood silent for a few moments. It seemed like no one was breathing. And, depending on if you were a vampire or not, you may not have been. I know I wasn't.

It was I who broke the silence. "What do they want?" My voice quivered slightly, and I doubt any of the humans were able to hear it. This wasn't just between us and the Volturi, that much was obvious. If there were about fifty innocent non-supernaturals standing in front of me, I knew there was more to this than what met the eye.

One of the young Quileuties, a girl who seemed about twelve, inquired in a soft voice, "Who are the Volturi? Are they the pale ones that glistened in the sunlight?" Her neighbors seemed to also want answers to those questions.

Following the young girl's inquisition, a man who appeared to be in his mid twenties asked, "Are you… Sam, did you take us to a coven of the Cold Ones? And what is the motive of this "Volturi"? What have they done with my sister Alianna? Is this..family affiliated with the Volturi in any way? Why do they wince at the mention of their name?"

I turned to Edward. He seemed to be in pain, and I assumed it had to do with the mass hysteria in the minds of those in the crowd. He caught my eye and gave me a pleading glance. I nodded, understanding what he wanted. I pushed my shield out of my mind and covered the residents of La Push with my mental umbrella to the best of my ability. Out of the corner of my eye I saw Edward relax slightly.

Sam turned to the crowd. With a voice of authority, he commanded, "Split into two even groups. Half of you will follow Jacob – " he pointed at Jacob " – and the other half of you will please follow me. We will follow the cold – er, Alice's advice. We'll leave in ten minutes, so please be prepared." He then turned to Carlisle. "Would you mind if my people use your facilities if necessary?"

Carlisle responded without hesitation. "Please feel free. Edward, Alice, after they leave may I have a word with you?" They nodded, and I still stood there, utterly lost for words. I had millions of questions flying through my mind and I wasn't sure where to even begin on any of them. The most pressing questions were consuming me. Why, after four and a half years, did the Volturi decide to return? Why were they attacking the people of La Push? Why did they attack La Push today and decide to wait to attack us until tomorrow? Were they even planning on attacking us, or were they visiting us? I only ever received answers to a few of these questions.

I turned my head, about to say something to Nessie, but she was still with Jacob. I knew I didn't have a right to interrupt them, so I decided to wait until later to say anything. Instead, I walked speechlessly and soundlessly into the house, sitting down lugubriously on the couch.

After a few minutes I felt the cushions move. Somenoe was sitting next to me, and judging by the stench emitting from their body, it was Jacob. I turned his way and made a sad attempt at a smile. It probably looked more like a grimace than anything. "I guess it'd be rather pointless to say goodbye now, wouldn't it? You'll be back in two days."

"Yeah. Don't worry, Bells. We'll be safe. Alice said so." He smiled, but as he said that another mystery dawned on me.

"Speaking of Alice's visions…how did she see you? She's never seen you guys in her visions before."

Jake frowned. This had evidently escaped his notice until now, too. Not that I could blame either of us – we had bigger problems on our hands at that moment. "I'm not sure. But Bells… I don't like this. When your kind, the Volturi, attacked us, it wasn't what any of us were expecting."

I frowned. "What do you mean?" I asked warily. The Volturi could've come to La Push for one reason only – to kill.

"Bella, they weren't killing people. They were – "

He was cut off by Sam, who ran in looking frantic. "Jake, we need to go now. There's been a change of plans. Carlisle has some rafts from one of their faux camping trips. We're going to hike a mile northeast and take the river for a few miles so they can't ever track our scent. It's going to rain soon, and that will wash away our scents on the way here. Alice said this would be safe. Hurry." He ran back outside. He was really beginning to remind me of a chicken with its head cut off.

Jacob smiled at me. "I'll catch ya later, Bells," He said as he walked quickly into the other room, possibly to find Nessie. In the meantime, I got myself busy starting to clean the house, washing away any scent of werewolf or human. I was doing this when Rosalie walked in.

"Do you know what's going on here, Bella? I tried to get the story from Edward and Alice, but they won't tell me. I don't like this. If the Volturi were simply coming for revenge, they would have told me…wouldn't they? And, while I know we have more pressing matters at hand, how did Alice know the wolves and the other Quileuties would be safe? Wouldn't that mean she had a vision of them?" She looked as confused as I felt.

I shook my head. "I don't know, Rose. But listen. Jake said something peculiar to me right before he left. About what the Volturi were doing in La Push." I said this as a whisper so low even another vampire would have needed to be in the room to hear it. I had no doubt Edward was eavesdropping, so I pushed my shield out to cover her, too, and started speaking again.

"He said…the Volturi weren't killing people. He tried to tell me what they _were_ doing, but Sam cut him off. So my question is, if they weren't killing anyone, _what were they doing?_"

Rose paused. "I don't know. But whatever it is… I want my answer soon." I nodded in assent and we both returned to cleaning, acting as though our conversation had never occurred.

Time flowed quickly that day. We scurried around the house, bleaching the floors and scrubbing the furniture until there was no trace of humans or werewolves left whatsoever. Thankfully, it had also started raining just as the residents of La Push were leaving, so their scent was being erased as well.

Once we had finished making the house spotless (of human scent, anyway), Carlisle called a meeting, which we were all more than slightly wary to attend.

We all gathered in the dining room, casting glances towards Edward and Alice. They stood on opposite sides of the room and Jasper and I ended up sitting right next to each other. Any other day, this arrangement would have been as awkward internally as it looked externally. Today it felt as normal as if we'd been doing it for centuries. Perhaps this was because there was a cloud of acceptance over everyone. I briefly wondered if this was Jasper's doing. As I was about to ask, Carlisle stood to speak.

Well, I suppose I should get this started," he said. "Alice and Edward both have information on the incident. Part of the reason this meeting was called was to see if anyone else had gathered any information while the werewolves and their friends were here, as Alice and Edward both decline to share what they know." He said the last part as indifferently as possible, but it still sounded like an accusation to my ears.

"Bella does," Rose said. At the same time, I said, "I do." Both of these were said in hushed voices.

"Very well," Carlisle said. "Would you be willing to share that information with the rest of us? It would seem you've already shared it with Rosalie."

"Alright." I stood, and if I was still human, I would have cleared my throat. Instead, I just began talking, and I told them everything I knew. This wasn't much, but it was more than either of _them_ had shared with us.

When I had finished speaking and I'd sat down, there was a brief pause in the room before Carlisle said thoughtfully, "Interesting. Does anyone else know anything?" He looked hopefully at Renesmee, who shook her head.

"He…we didn't talk much. It was too sad."

"I understand," Carlisle told her. "We all do." He then turned to Edward and back to Alice. "Well, do you have anything you'd like to share?"

Both of them shook their heads. "No, we don't. It would be too risky. I saw what would happen if I told you now," Alice said. "It wasn't pretty. So please, please wait. I'm sorry. You'll understand tomorrow at noon."

Carlisle sighed, defeated. "Well, I guess this meeting is over then," he said with a look of mournful chagrin. "Until noon, then." He left the room.

Numbly, the rest of us left as well, the wonder of what was coming tomorrow consuming all of our minds.

* * *

><p>So what did you think? Please review! I MAY have chapter three up today but no promises. But I DO promise it will be up by the end of tomorrow.<p>

Thanks!

-Christine


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Sorry about not posting this yesterday like I wanted to. I didn't mean to lie to you, but it was my one year anniversary with my boyfriend and I felt that was the higher priority. **

"_Perfect by nature, icons of self indulgence_

_Just what we all need – more lies about a world_

_That never was and never will be…."_

_Everybody's Fool by Evanescence_

**Chapter Three:**

As we were all leaving the room, Esme paused in her tracks. "Alice, have you been seeing visions that include the werewolves?" she asked softly.

"Yes. They've been fuzzy and sometimes incoherent, but I've been getting them." She said this without much emotion, as if it didn't matter to her. This was another painful reminder of the unwelcome change we were going through – on a "normal" day, Alice would have been ecstatic about this.

Edward and I didn't return to our cottage that night by Nessie's pleading.

"It's too dangerous," she'd persisted. "Look. I know just about as much of this as you do, but I don't think it's safe. This whole situation gives me the creeps and I don't want to risk losing someone I love."

We had eventually given in and instead spent time in Edward's old room playing piano. He'd been teaching me how to play for quite some time now, and thanks to my new vampire intelligence, I caught on rather quickly.

I was playing "Fur Elise" on the piano, the first piece I had learned by Beethoven. I sighed as I played the last notes, listening to the sound of the chord echo around me. Playing the familiar tune helped me relax slightly.

"Beethoven was a genius," I said as I stood, ready to leave the room. As I turned while Edward was getting up, I noticed Carlisle was standing by the door.

"You played that beautifully," he said. "Beethoven was an amazing composer – arrogant for sure. But a wonderful composer."

I smiled. "Speaking from experience?" I asked.

"Yes, actually. I went to quite a few of his recitals. I even had the opportunity to meet him a few times." He was walking toward Edward and I. The two of us sat back down. When he reached us, he pulled a chair over to sit on the other side of me. He placed his hand on my shoulder and began to speak again.

"One of the traits I most admired about him was his persistence. Even after the loss of his hearing, he still pushed onward and created many more masterpieces. He never lost sight of what he loved, even when things seemed very grim. People – and supernaturals – could learn a lot from him.

"I don't know what's going on here," he continued, rising. "But I do have an idea. If I'm right, it will be very hard to keep holding onto what we once loved. Maybe even impossible. But never keep trying." He then gracefully turned and exited the room, leaving only Edward and myself.

Morning came more quickly than I would have liked. Before I knew it, we were all running around, getting dressed as quickly as we could to be as presentable as possible for these monsters.

When eleven thirty arrived, we gathered in the living room, sitting as casually as possible in anticipation. I was drowning in nervousness as to what the Volturi wanted. I was also suffocating in anxiousness because some sick part of me could not wait to see why they were here.

The minutes ticked by slowly and with my vampire senses and heightened awareness, they seemed much longer than they truly were. Each _tick_ of the second hand felt longer than the one preceding it.

As the seconds slowly turned into minutes, however, measurable time started to flow, and once the clock read eleven-fifty, I wished I could turn it back.

Finally the clock boomed out a chime twelve times to signify the arrival of noon. As if they were standing outside waiting for a cue, as the twelfth and final chime rang through the house we heard a pleasant tapping on the door.

Carlisle stood and spoke. "I suppose I should get that." His words were said in a whisper, and he walked towards the door, opening it steadily and plastering a faux smile on his face.

"Jane? Aro? What are you doing here?" he in pleasant surprise, as if we had no idea of their coming. "Marcus and Alec, too? Please, come in."

As the Volturi walked in, the rest of us (minus Edward and Alice) glued looks of pleasant confusion to our faces. Edward and Alice had looks of suppressed anger, being the only two here who could reasonably show some of their true emotion.

"Hello, my dearest friends." He smiled at us individually he said his names. He seemed to have completely forgotten entirely of our confrontation only a few years ago.

"Hello… Alice, Jasper, Esme, Emmett, Rosalie, Edward, Bella… ah, Renesmee." He stopped at my daughter, smiling even wider and showing his teeth. "How you've grown since the last time I've seen you.

"I still remember when I met you," she said, trying her best to dispel the coldness from her voice. He noticed it regardless and frowned.

"Ah, yes. I remember. It's too bad, an awful shame, really, that we were unable to meet under more…desirable circumstances. But that's all in the past now. And I have been so waiting to see you. All of you." As he spoke that last sentence he turned, making eye contact with the rest of us, showing he was once again addressing us all.

"I have some rather good news I've been brimming over with excitement to tell you." He sat down on a couch in the corner. Marcus, Alec, and Jane silently joined him. I'd forgotten they had even come; I'd been too engrossed in what Aro was saying, hoping he would finally say why they had come.

Alice smiled sarcastically. "Really? What is it you have to share with us?" Somehow she managed to keep the malice I knew she was feeling into the words she spoke.

Marcus smirked, Jane giggled, and her brother smiled. Aro kept an apathetic expression. "Why," he said," Alice, I'm sure you know already. Would you like to share with your family?"

"No, thank you. It's not my news to share." She looked innocently his direction.

"I understand. Well, I suppose I'm not going to get a drum roll."

Rosalie, tired of waiting, said, "Aro, stop teasing us so. Please just tell us." With her blond hair and childishly innocent expression, at that moment she could have easily passed for a Stepford Wife***. **

It was then that it hit me.

This whole encounter, something had seemed off to me. And as I sat there comparing Rosalie to a Stepford Wife, I figured it out.

Everything that had occurred since the Volturi arrived was laced with deceptive innocence. And I didn't like that one bit. I saw no point in hiding my feelings.

Before I could say something, however, Aro opened his mouth and began telling us in his charismatic way what exactly was going on.

"Very well. Caius, Marcus, and I had recently (within the past three years) realized something – maintaining the rules of keeping our existence from the humans a secret is simply too taxing. We live in a world which is becoming far too advanced to continue this without being discovered anyway, and besides that, there are many mortals who strive to be like us. Some may even worship us as gods." He let us sink this much in for a moment as he seemed to take a moment to relish his own last sentence. "There was only one problem with this. There are almost six billion people in the world, only a few thousand of which are vampires. We had to devise a way to keep the humans under control.

"Marcus, Caius, and I deliberated long and hard how to do this. Most of our plans we vetoed right away. Some were so ridiculous I never want to hear them again." Marcus and Aro shared a genuine smile, obviously remembering one of these. Then Aro began once more.

"Eventually we all agreed on one thing; we would have to divide the humans into multiple classes, much like the Caste system of India or the Estate system of France. We randomly over one year assigned classes to all regions of the globe. Given our… extended ability to use time, this was no problem. We decided some areas would make up a sort of "minor nobility". Some places that were placed in this class are Los Angeles, Chicago, New York, some areas of Paris, Prague, most of London, all of Tokyo, the Vatican …et cetera. Others, such as Miami, San Francisco, or Nagasaki, were labled as "Upper middle class." Most of the world, including our very own Forks, Washington, was placed into a strictly middle class category. Still others (like many tribes in South America or Africa and some poor suburbs of cities) were placed into a category named "Low middle class/peasants.""

"Is that all?" I asked, thinking the Volturi had _way_ too much time on their hands to have concocted this idiotic plan. It would never last. It explained why the Quileuties were so confused by the Volturi's actions, though, and that made me breathe a sigh of relief.

"No…it's not," Marcus said. I looked up quickly. Once again, I'd forgotten Marcus was even here, let alone what his voice sounded like. Aro sure had a way of hogging the spotlight.

"He's right," Aro said before his friend could continue. "Well, we figured even the threat of death wouldn't deter most, even if a vampire was the one giving the threat. Seeing that it wasn't _just_ a threat, however, might. We designated some towns (for instance, Antioch Illinois in the United States) to be completely eradicated .We also decided it would be interesting to have a few slaves. So some towns, mostly very small ones such as La Push, Washington, were designated to that. We rounded up as many humans there as we could. We also had to dispose of political leaders. As we speak, Felix is dispatching the Italian prime minister."

We all sat in shock. He could _not_ be serious. I knew the Volturi were insane, and I knew their allies numbered in the thousands (not to mention the humans they paid off), but this was just absurd.

"I…this…what…How do you suppose this is going to work? Do you think humans are just going to accept this?" I shot at them. "From my experience, they'll do anything _but_ that." My family nodded in agreement.

Alec turned to me, an evil glint in his ruby eyes. "Turn on the television," was all he said. I did. The screen was blank.

"Now what?" I asked, humoring him.

"Channel seven."

"Got it."

I switched it to channel seven. I saw the Volturi crest in the corner, and the reporter was talking about the new regime. Apparently there was even an application system to be turned into a vampire. From what she was saying, it was quite the dent in a humans pocket. I didn't know of _any_ humans still alive who would be able to afford that cost.

_Okay, _I thought. _This is when I wake up and find out my other power as a vampire; the ability to sleep. _

I never did wake up.

* * *

><p><strong>* Stepford Wife:<strong> Look up the movie "The Stepford Wives."

**A/N**: So that was my third chapter! Please review! Oh and I'll try to continue being on top of updating this regularly!

- Christine


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